Containers, vessels and tanks (collectively referred to as “tanks”) are used throughout numerous industries to hold contents therein during the manufacturing, processing, storing and transporting (collectively referred to as “process(ing)”) of the contents. To produce and maintain quality characteristics of the contents provided in the tanks, and ideally enhance the quality characteristics, temperature of the contents is an important parameter that must be continually controlled by adjusting, modifying and regulating.
An exemplary industry that uses tanks to process contents provided therein is the wine industry. The wine industry uses tanks to receive and process fruit juice, for example grape juice, into wine. The temperature of the juice during processing is arguably the most important parameter or factor that can be selected, adjusted and modified to produce and maintain wine having the highest character and quality. That is, the juice and wine must be maintained within strict temperature ranges or tolerances to enable the quality production of the wine. Moreover, different stages of production may require different temperatures for the production of quality wine and each temperature is preferably stabilized to be within a couple of degrees of an ideal temperature to enhance and maintain that character and quality of the product.
Fermentation is an exemplary processing step of wine production wherein temperature is a very important factor to be controlled for establishing and maintaining the quality of the wine. In fact, fermentation is the heart of wine making wherein juice is processed and converted into wine. Accordingly, this process greatly influences the character and quality of the final wine product. Fermentation is a heat source process which is to say that thermal energy as heat is generated during the process. However, the fermentation process only occurs or progresses while the juice is in a specific temperature range. Consequently, the generation of heat during the fermentation process must be controlled and maintained (that is, the temperature of the juice must be maintained within the specific temperature range) to continue the fermenting process. Otherwise, if the temperature is not controlled, the juice will reach temperatures outside the specific temperature range causing the fermentation process to take a different biological and/or chemical process which is not conducive to producing quality wine. Therefore, the temperature of the juice must be continually adjusted, controlled and regulated to produce a quality wine. Furthermore, when the juice and/or wine reaches an undesirable temperature during any stage of processing, it is desirable to adjust the temperature to reach a favorable temperature as quickly as possible. Adjusting temperatures as quickly as possible will increase the potential for producing and/or maintaining a quality wine.
The current systems for adjusting, regulating and controlling the temperatures during wine production are deficient and inadequate to consistently produce the highest quality wine. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional thermal regulating system 2 for an exemplary tank 4 used in the wine industry. Tank 4 comprises a wall structure forming an inner volume or interior volume (not shown) defined by an inner peripheral surface or interior surface (not shown) to receive and hold the volume of grape juice/wine mass. Thermal regulating system 2 comprises a thermal jacket 3 provided over a outer circumferential portion of an outer surface area of tank 4. For convenience, outer surface area of tank 4 will be referred to as an outer peripheral surface 6 (and understood to be opposite interior surface) of tank 4 with thermal jacket 3 over or covering only a portion of the outer peripheral surface 6.
In operation, a thermal source such as glycol is provided through thermal jacket 3 via an inlet 11 and an outlet 13. Before being provided to thermal jacket 3, the glycol is selectively heated or cooled relative the juice mass depending on the processing stage and desired temperature range of the juice mass during the processing stage. A thermodynamic relationship is developed between the glycol and juice mass wherein thermal energy is transferred through the wall structure between the glycol and juice mass. The thermal energy transfer occurs substantially across that portion of the wall structure at the outer periphery surface 6 covered by thermal jacket 3 and to the opposite portion of the interior surface not shown.
The thermal jackets 3 of conventional thermal regulating systems 2 are expensive to purchase, maintain and operate. Consequently, only a portion of the outer peripheral surface 6 of tank 4 is covered by thermal jacket 3. The conventional wisdom of the wine industry is that this design of the thermal regulating system 2 is adequate to control the temperature of the contents within the tank 4 and produce quality wine. For example, the wine industry generally assumes that this design of the thermal regulating system 2 is capable of forming a uniform temperature throughout the wine mass. However, the wine industry is mistaken.
Conventional thermal jackets 3 cover only 25% to 50% of the entire surface area of the wall structure of tank 4. With only a percentage or portion of the wall structure being provided in direct contact with thermal jacket 3, only a percentage of the juice mass within tank 4 is directly influenced by thermal energy transfer, for example, by thermal conduction, convection and radiation. The balance of the juice mass within tank 4 that is not located directly opposite and adjacent the thermal jacket 3 can only be affected by the thermal energy transfer via thermal convection and convection currents which must move throughout an entirety of the column of the juice mass. This situation results in the development of different regions within the juice mass having different temperatures which detrimentally influences the quality of the wine (more thoroughly discussed subsequently). This development of temperature strata regions is not known or understood by the wine industry.
Consequently, there is a need to improve the design of thermal regulating systems of tanks, vessels and/or containers to facilitate the control, regulation and quick adjustment of temperatures for the contents provided therein. This improvement to thermal regulating systems will greatly enhance and optimize the capability of producing a quality product within the tanks, vessels and/or containers.